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Movies | Written by Martin Unsworth 01/12/2016

Production Begins on UK Sci-fi film with THE WALKING DEAD Star

New sci-fi thriller Solis has begun shooting for four weeks at Yorkshire’s GSP Studios.

Directed by first-timer Carl Strathie, Solis stars Steven Ogg, recently seen as one of Negan’s henchmen in The Walking Dead (he carried the episode Go Getters), in the lead. The film is produced by Alan Latham (That Good Night) and Charlette Kilby (Hollows), and there’s some amazing talent behind the scenes with Bart Sienkiewicz (Word on the Street) acting as director of photography, costume designer Frances Collier (Whistle My Lad), hair and make-up designer Melaine Lenihan (Peaky Blinders), and Moon’s Tony Noble handling production design.

The official synopsis is: When Troy Holloway wakes up to find himself trapped aboard a drifting escape pod shooting towards the Sun he quickly realises the true terror of his situation. With rapid oxygen depletion and a burn- up rate of 90 minutes, Commander Roberts leads a rescue party to save Holloway before time runs out.

Having recently lost his son and now confronted by his immediate end, Holloway feels less enthusiastic about survival. But Roberts, speaking to him only through a weak radio transmission, is determined to save his life, and both soon learn that the lives they have both lived influence each other in unexpected ways.

Starring as Space Engineer Holloway, Steven Ogg said: “I’m so excited for this project on so many levels! Carl sent this script to me over two years ago and to be here now, shooting in England, is amazing! For him, Charlette and the entire team! I just love that it is a space film that really is not about space at all. To me, it’s more Jason Robards on his death bed in Magnolia; a man who is wrestling with his past as much as his own mortality.”

Solis writer-director Carl Strathie added: “We’re going down the rustic, rudimentary low-fi sci-fi route, similar to classics such as 2001 A Space Odyssey and Alien, utilising old-school techniques such as miniatures, wire work and pretty much making everything as practical as possible on camera. At its core, Solis is a profound drama; a meditation of life and death set against a science fiction backdrop.”